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A Systematic Method for the Design of Earthing System for Low-voltage

Installations

Article in International Journal of Recent Technology and Engineering (IJRTE) · October 2019
DOI: 10.35940/ijrte.C1003.1083S19

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 International Journal of Recent Technology and Engineering (IJRTE)
A Systematic Method for the Design of Earthing
System for Low-voltage Installations
Siow Chun Lim, Yousef Al-Shawesh
 of lightning strikes and fault currents to ground earth with
Abstract: Earthing system plays an essential role in electrical
systems in terms of safety for people in the vicinity against the
hazard of electric shocks as well as protection and proper
operation of equipment during the incidence of electric faults by
providing a low-impedance path that can dissipate fault currents
to the conductive mass of earth. Engineers are faced with the
design of adequate earthing systems that comply with national
standards and regulations which apparently incorporate a
variety of earthing methods and various formulae to obtain the
design parameters such as the earthing resistance and conductor
size. Manual calculation of such parameter makes the design
quite laborious, tedious, and time-consuming but could
conceivably be performed much quicker by a computer software.
This paper presents a proposed step-by-step approach for the
design of a reliable and effective earthing system for low-voltage
installations. The main objective of this work is to develop a
computer-aided and easy-to-use template which could be useful
for industry practitioners in Malaysia who are responsible with
earthing system design. A simple auto calculation software
template was developed using Microsoft Excel spreadsheet. The
template was tested by a consulting company in order to meet
their industry needs. The developed template provides a
technically acceptable computer simulation and yet a low-cost
solution to the complex issue of effective design of earthing
systems for low-voltage installations.
Index Terms: Earthing system, step voltage, standards,
electrical safety, soil resistivity
I. INTRODUCTION
The design consideration of an earthing system in electrical
installations is of paramount importance for providing
sufficient safety of human life against electric shocks due to
indirect contact with metallic parts and ensuring the
protection and proper operation of equipment during normal
and abnormal conditions as well as protection of structure
buildings and equipment from lightning strokes and earth
fault conditions due to unintentional contact with energised
electrical lines. To avoid such instances, the electrical
installation and conductive parts of the appliances must be
earthed to ground so as to transfer the charge directly to
earth. This can be achieved by establishing the lowest
possible resistance path which allows the discharge and flow
Revised Manuscript Received on August 18, 2019.
Siow Chun Lim, Faculty of Engineering, Multimedia University,
Cyberjaya, Malaysia.
Yousef Al-Shawesh, Faculty of Engineering, Multimedia University,
Cyberjaya, Malaysia.
.
Retrieval Number: C10031083S19/2019©BEIESP
DOI:10.35940/ijrte.C1003.1083S19
ISSN: 2277-3878, Volume-8 Issue-3S, October 2019
tolerable limits of touch and step voltages due to the rise in
earth potential caused by the release of fault currents [1-2].
The earthing system should be designed and installed in a
manner that limits the adverse consequences of earth
potential gradients to such low levels of voltage and current
that will not endanger the safety of people or equipment
under both normal and fault conditions while ensuring the
continuity of service.
One of the key essential requirements for designing an
adequate earthing system is to have as low value as possible
of resistance to remote earth in order to minimise the voltage
between the earthing system and reference earth, known as
earth potential rise (EPR) which is proportional to the
magnitude of the fault current, and the earth resistance. A
few key factors that determine the effectiveness of any
earthing system are highly emphasised especially the soil
resistivity depending on the surrounding environment as
well as the size and configuration of the electrode. Most
electrical engineering companies are encountered with the
design of earthing systems. Installation of a well-designed
earthing system is a fundamental requirement for all
structures and electrical systems at all voltage levels which
must strictly conform to national and international standards
in certain respects. For low-voltage electrical installations
safety and protection, a number of international standards
have been published which define earthing techniques and
earthing system design parameters.
Regulations pertaining to earthing systems differ to a notably
large extent amongst countries, though many follow
international standards proposed by some international
organisations particularly for low-voltage installations.
Low-voltage systems employ voltages in the range 50–1000
V AC or 120–1500 V DC as defined by IEC [3]. These
voltages are most commonly known as the mains voltages as
utilised by domestic, commercial, and light industrial
premises [3]. Most of the available earthing standards
propose a set of formulae and equations for calculating
important parameters that aids in the design of a proper
earthing system. Such earthing parameters include the
earthing resistance and minimum size of the earthing
conductor which can be calculated using various methods as
part of the design methodology
Published By:
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 A Systematic Method for the Design of Earthing System for Low-voltage Installations

II. METHOD 5) Check if the calculated resistance meets the target

value.
The adoption of risk-based electrical earthing in most
6) If resistance is still higher than minimum, then select
national and international standards can make the design of a
alternative methods of earthing such as parallel connection
safe earthing system more complicated than ever with its
of rods and concrete-encased electrode whenever possible
limited ranges of various design parameters that must be
while considering the cost and availability of electrodes.
determined to ensure a low resistance path to ground earth.
7) Check if the new calculated resistance meets the design
Earthing resistance is the most essential element of the
requirements.
design and thus it is prioritised. Soil resistivity is one of the
8) Complete the design by including other necessary
fundamental parameters that determines the resistance and
parameters for final design.
impedance of earthing as it essentially restrains the earthing
The entire procedure for designing an effective earthing
electrode resistance. Therefore, the resistivity of soil where
system for low-voltage installations is illustrated in Fig. 1
an earth electrode is buried shall be measured before the
which was modified from the chart proposed by IEEE-80 [7].
design of the earthing system. Besides, there is a number of
components that determine the overall effectiveness of any
earthing system comprising the earthing conductors and
earthing electrodes that are used to construct the system.
Selection of material, sizing, shape, configuration, and
methods by which these individual elements are
interconnected exerts influence on the performance,
condition, and risk of such system. The level of fault current
shall be determined, and the selection of earthing conductors
size and material shall be decided. Earthing system must be
meticulously designed so that the overall earthing resistance
and the calculated mesh and step voltages fall below the
tolerable limits as specified in the standards. This research
work presents a proposed methodical step-by-step approach
for the design of earthing systems for low-voltage
installations based on BS-7430, IEEE-120 Green Book, and
IEC-60364 [4, 5, 6] which are applied in practice in
Malaysia. A simple software tool with auto-mathematical
functions was developed using Microsoft Excel. This
template is to provide a technically acceptable computer
simulation and yet a low-cost solution to the complex issue of
effective design of earthing systems according to the
standards mentioned. Preliminary layout design is to be
conducted after deciding the type of earthing electrode. The
resistance of earthing must confirm to the minimum
requirement. Further investigation of step and touch voltages
is to be made to guarantee that they do not exceed the
allowable limits. Nevertheless, if any of the three parameters
still do not comply with standard regulations depending on
the site soil conditions, alternative means of effective
earthing methods must be considered in reducing the total
earthing resistance and also the ground surface potential
whenever design modification is necessary. For earthing
resistance requirements, the following steps are proposed to
be followed:
Fig 1: Flow chart of design procedure of earthing systems
1) Obtain necessary information such as field soil
resistivity, applicable area for electrode installation, and
maximum fault current in the low-voltage installation. III. RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS
2) Indicate in the design the standard requirements and After identifying the parameters of earthing design specified
customer design specifications if available. in BS-7430, IEEE-120 Green Book, and IEC-60364 [4, 5, 6],
3) Select the type, configuration, length, and diameter of data was entered into seven Microsoft Excel worksheets. The
earthing electrode according to type of soil and applicable first worksheet incorporated mainly the formulae
area. recommended by BS-7430 for
4) Calculate the earthing resistance for the electrode type calculating the earthing
and configuration. resistance for the various
types of electrode

Published By:
Retrieval Number: C10031083S19/2019©BEIESP Blue Eyes Intelligence Engineering
DOI:10.35940/ijrte.C1003.1083S19 13 & Sciences Publication
 International Journal of Recent Technology and Engineering (IJRTE)
ISSN: 2277-3878, Volume-8 Issue-3S, October 2019

configurations. Each electrode configuration data was

categorised into three types; text, input constants, and Excel
formula which computes the mathematical functions and
then yields output results instantly. To enable the user to
select the type of earthing, the dropdown list function was
used. This allows the user to pick a text value from the
dropdown list created with multiple options. The data of
corresponding parameters to each earthing type was entered
in cells below the cell containing the drop-down list. This
data show only when a selection from the drop-down list was
made. Comments were added to Excel cells where they can
be read by the user while navigating by the computer mouse
on the selected cells. These comments inform the user to
either to pick a value from a drop-down list or to enter a
Fig 2: Screenshot of Template, BS-7430 Calculation of Earthing Resistance
constant number for the input parameters required to
compute the output data correspondingly. The adjacent cells
to the right of each parameter was highlighted with orange
colour in the background where the user is to enter a valid
constant number as a value for the corresponding adjacent
parameter. Excel formula which always starts with an equal
sign (=) contains numbers, functions such as PI() which
returns the value pi: 3.142, references such as A1 which
returns the value inside the cell A1, and mathematical
operators for addition (+), subtraction (-),multiplication (*),
division (/), and (^) operator raises a number to a power.
References in Excel are used to obtain the input values from
the user as entered in the input highlighted cells. The
function IF-nested was used extensively in our Microsoft
Excel worksheets to make the template simple, neat and
more effective for the user. This function makes a logical
comparison between two values by testing for a condition and Fig 3: Screenshot of Template, IEEE Green Book, Calculation of Earthing
Resistance
returning a result if True or False.
As can be seen from Fig. 2 and Fig. 3 above, the user needs to
The template was designed so that user can select one of the 7
click on the downward arrow of the drop-down to select one
worksheets by clicking on its tab:
type of earthing by clicking on the text as highlighted. The
1) Procedure Flow Chart: this worksheet includes a proposed user then needs to enter valid values in the highlighted
step-by-step approach for the design of earthing systems as orange cells for the corresponding parameters described on
described in Fig.1. the left for each parameter. These cells can be manipulated or
modified by the user. The user can obtain the result from the
2) BS-7430 Resistance: this worksheet incorporates the
grey cell for the earthing resistance for the earthing system
calculation of earthing resistance for different types of
chosen previously. The simulated values were verified by
earthing based on BS-7430.
comparing them with the manually calculated values from
3) BS-7430 Conductor Selection: this worksheet consists of the equations and tables given in the documentations of
various parameters selection procedure of materials and standards which produced the same results.
sizing of earthing electrodes based on BS-7430.
4) IEEE Green Book: this worksheet includes all formulae
used for computing the earthing resistance as proposed by
IEEE Green Book.
5) IEC 60364: this worksheet consists of sizing and selection
of material of earthing conductors as recommended by IEC
60364.
6) Common Methods: this worksheet incorporates the most
common earthing methods applicable in Malaysia for
electrode sizing and configuration based on selected target
resistance and various values of soil resistivity as
recommended by the consulting company.
Fig 4: Screenshot of Template,
7) Illustrations: this worksheet includes different figures and Common Methods, Earthing Electrode
diagrams for the various configuration and earthing types. Selection

Published By:
Retrieval Number: C10031083S19/2019©BEIESP Blue Eyes Intelligence Engineering
DOI:10.35940/ijrte.C1003.1083S19 14 & Sciences Publication
 A Systematic Method for the Design of Earthing System for Low-voltage Installations
Fig 5: Screenshot of Template, BS-7430 Conductor Selection
Fig 6: Screenshot of Template, IEC-60364 Conductor Selection
Further enhancement on the existing template can be made
by including estimation of earth resistance using backfill
material or ground improvement material as well as taking
into account the effect of environmental factors such as
proximity of earthing system to slopes and trees as reported
in [8-10].
IV. CONCLUSIONS
A systematic and easy-to-follow approach for the design
activities of earthing systems for low-voltage installations
was proposed. A comprehensive, economically viable, and
technically acceptable template was developed using
Microsoft Excel which can be useful for industry engineers
when designing earthing systems that comply with national
and international standards applied in Malaysia. The use of
this template was constantly verified throughout the
development to execute accurate and precise results of design
parameters in a time-saving manner.
REFERENCES
1. M. Nayel, Z. Jie, H. J. Liang, Cia , ‘Study of step and touch voltages in
Resistive/capacitive ground due to lightning stroke.’, CEEE 2006, Dalian,
2PI-07, pp 56-60.
2. R. J. Heppe.”Step Potentials and Body Currents near Grounds in Two
Layer Earth,” IEEE Transaction on Power Apparatus and System
Voltages, vol. PAS-98, No.1, pp 45-59, Jan./Feb., 1979.
Retrieval Number: C10031083S19/2019©BEIESP
DOI:10.35940/ijrte.C1003.1083S19
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3. MS IEC Electrical installations of buildings - Guide to IEC 60364 (First
Revision), Draft Malaysian Standard 14E006R1, Standards Malaysia,
2014.
4. British Standards Institution. BS 7430: 2011. Code of practice for
protective earthing of electrical installations. Milton Keynes: BSI, 2011.
5. IEEE Standard-142 (Green Book), IEEE Recommended Practice for
Grounding of Industrial and Commercial Power Systems; 2007.
6. MS IEC 60364, Electrical Installations of Buildings, Part 5-54: Selection
and Erection of Electrical Equipment: Earthing Arrangements,
Protective Conductors and Protective Bonding Conductors, IEC
60364-5-54: 2004.
7. Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. IEEE 80: 2000. Guide for
Safety in AC Substation Grounding. New York: IEEE, 2000.
8. C. Gomes, M.Z.A.Ab.Kadir, C. L. Kottachchi, and S.C. Lim,“Industrial
Waste and Natural Substances for Improving Electrical Earthing System”,
International Journal of Electrical Engineering, April 2014.
9. S. C. Lim, L. W. Choun, C. Gomes, and M. Z. A. A. Kadir, “Environmental
effects on the performance of electrical grounding systems,” in Power
Engineering and Optimization Conference (PEOCO), 2013 IEEE 7th
International, 2013, no. June, pp. 330–333.
10. S. C. Lim, G. Nourirad, C. Gomes, and M. Z. A. A. Kadir, “Significance of
localized soil resistivity in designing a grounding system,” in Power
Engineering and Optimization Conference (PEOCO), 2014 IEEE 8th
International, 2014, March
AUTHORS PROFILE
Siow Chun Lim obtained his bachelor’s degree in electrical
and electronic engineering from Universiti Putra Malaysia
in 2011. He then completed his Ph D in electrical power
engineering specializing in electrical grounding systems in
2014. In 2017, he was the International Electrotechnical
Commission (IEC) Young Professional candidate
representing Malaysia. He is also the Honorary Secretary
cum Treasurer of the National Working Group of ASEAN Engineering
Inspectorate (Electrical Installation) which focusses on harmonization of
electrical engineering standards. His main research interests include electrical
earthing system, lightning protection and engineering education.
Yousef Al-Shawesh obtained his bachelor’s degree in
electrical engineering from Multimedia University in
2018. During his undergraduate studies, he volunteered as
a teaching assistant at the Faculty of Engineering for three
trimesters, conducting extra tutorial sessions for Digital
Logic Design, Circuits & Signals, and Power Transmission
& Distribution. His bachelor’s thesis focused on the development of an
auto-calculation software tool, for the design of a safe earthing system for
industry practitioners in Malaysia.
Published By:
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